


A Very Merry Gallifreyan Christmas

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Banter, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Fluff, Friendship, Fun, Humor, Silly, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28143564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: As the temperature drops on Gallifrey, Ace is reminded of Christmas. And while normally time lords would never dream of celebrating a human holiday, they might just make an exception this time.
Relationships: Ace McShane & Narvin, Ace McShane & Romana II, Irving Braxiatel & Ace McShane, Irving Braxiatel & Leela & Narvin & Romana II, Leela & Ace McShane, Leela & Narvin & Romana
Comments: 10
Kudos: 12





	A Very Merry Gallifreyan Christmas

As usual, Narvin heard Ace before he actually saw her.

“Chilly out, isn’t it?” she was asking someone. “Don’t time lords have heating?”

Her voice got closer until she poked her head into Narvin’s office. “Morning, Narv!” She grinned. “Don’t suppose there’s any heating in the Tower, is there?”

“We are time lords, Ace,” Narvin said, frowning as she stepped into his office. Not only was she wearing the CIA robes that she’d “modified,” in her words, but she was also wearing her bomber jacket over those. “We don’t need heating.”

“Yeah, well I’m just a lowly human, and it’s bloody freezing!” She shivered, emphasising her point.

Narvin sighed. He supposed it was a little cold for a human. “I’ll permit you to wear your jacket while the weather’s like this.”

“Narvin,” Ace groaned, “the jacket isn’t enough! This is the only one I have!”

Narvin spread his arms. “I’m not sure what you’re expecting me to do; it’s not like I have a winter wardrobe.”

That elicited a smile from Ace. “I bet your closet is like one of those cartoons where every outfit hanging up is exactly the same.”

Narvin turned to look at his desk, trying to hide his chagrin at how right she was.

“Hey, what about the CIA wardrobe?” Ace asked.

“The clothes in there are strictly for—”

“Good morning, Ace.”

Narvin looked up at the sound of Romana’s voice and watched as she breezed past Ace into the office. She nodded at him. “Narvin.”

“Romana!” Ace took a couple more steps into the room. “Finally, someone with sense—no offence, Narvin.”

He frowned at her.

“Can I borrow a jacket off someone?” Ace pleaded to Romana, her eyes wide and innocent. “Narvin told me that time lords are too high and mighty for heating.”

Narvin opened his mouth to explain once again that they simply didn’t need it, but Romana replied quickly, probably knowing that he’d make such a retort.

“You can talk to Leela; she’s lived here for a long time.”

Ace snorted. “Will anyone take me seriously decked out in furs?”

“We all take Leela seriously,” Romana said.

“No one would dare do otherwise,” Narvin muttered.

* * *

Ace was the only person Leela had ever known to be comfortable in her quarters.

On the rare occasion that Romana or Narvin came to visit, they always looked uncomfortable, glancing around like they didn’t know where to sit. They clasped their hands together and tapped their feet as they avoided her gaze. Leela knew that they preferred their stark white walls and plush sofas to her furs and untidiness.

Ace, on the other hand, was currently sprawled out on one of the furs, her hands behind her head. She seemed almost as comfortable as Leela felt herself.

“So, what do you do during winter on Gallifrey?”

Leela combed her fingers through the fur beneath her and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It’s cold!” Ace nodded at her. “Are those all the furs you have?”

Leela looked down at her warm fur coat that hugged her torso and suddenly understood the line of Ace’s questioning. “I have many more. Do you wish to borrow some?”

Ace’s eyes lit up. “Would you really let me?”

“Of course I will help you.” Leela got up and went to the corner of the room where her furs were currently carelessly tossed into a pile. She glanced over her shoulder at Ace. “You do not like the cold?”

Ace sat up and shrugged. “I do like it normally, but…I guess it’s different here than it is on Earth.”

Leela shuffled through some of the coats, trying to find one she thought would suit Ace.

“On Earth,” Ace continued, “when it starts getting cold, the whole world changes. Everyone cheers up a bit—oh, and there’s Christmas!”

Leela paused. The Doctor had told her about this Christmas; he had even taken her one time. But, as usual, trouble came too quickly for her to be able to enjoy any of it.

“Here, the change in weather is just a scientific fact, just like everything else on Gallifrey.”

Leela caught the note of dejection in Ace’s tone. She finally picked out a suitable coat and brought it back to Ace, who immediately bundled herself in it. Leela smiled at the way it changed her appearance, but Ace’s gaze was far away.

“What is so special about Christmas?” Leela asked, sitting beside her.

Ace looked down, running her hands over the fur. “I never really liked much on Earth. But Christmas—that was different. Everyone just sort of turned into a better version of themselves. Even my mum, sometimes. We had this tree…” She shook her head and sighed. “I lost all of that when I ended up on Iceworld. The Doctor took me to a few Christmases, but that’s it since then.” She seemed to perk up a little and smiled at Leela. “But hey, I wouldn’t trade the life I’ve had for anything, even Christmas.”

But Leela could see that this Christmas was something she treasured, something she missed. Leela had many things she missed from her homeworld too, and it seemed like every day she forgot just a little bit more about what it was like to sleep between her parents on cold nights with the whole tribe huddled together, or how they would feast and dance on the single festival day they celebrated.

Ace thanked Leela for the coat and left soon afterwards, but Leela sat for a little while, thinking.

She had a plan.

* * *

“We should have Christmas for Ace.”

The sudden proclamation from Leela sent the cramped little trio in Narvin’s office into silence.

 _Christmas._ Romana wondered when she had last even heard the word.

“Christmas on Gallifrey?” Narvin exclaimed, turning to look at Leela. “You can’t be serious.”

Romana faced Leela and spoke in a much softer tone. “What Narvin means is Christmas would be nice, but we don’t have anything we need to make it Christmas here.”

“We could get Braxiatel to help,” Leela said matter-of-factly as if she had already thought through every possible issue.

Romana frowned and tapped a finger against her chin. “She does have a point…”

“No.” Narvin stood from his desk. “There is absolutely no way the High Council would approve of human artifacts being brought into the very centre of the Capitol.”

But Leela wasn’t looking at Narvin. She was staring right into Romana’s eyes. Because at the end of the day, no matter what Narvin thought, _she_ was the one who made the final decisions.

“Romana, please don’t tell me you’re considering this.”

 _Christmas._ Something she’d never experienced, something that had made the Doctor’s eyes light up with joy when he’d talked about it, something that would spite the High Council without them even being aware of it. And perhaps, more than anything, something that would make Ace feel a little more at home here.

“What the High Council doesn’t know won’t hurt them, Narvin.”

Narvin spluttered. A slow grin spread over Leela’s face. “Come, Narvin,” she said, a teasing note in her voice. “There is no harm in a celebration. It will be fun!”

Narvin pressed his lips together, obviously trying not to explode. Finally, he seemed to deflate as he let out a long sigh. “All right, I suppose that if anything…Ace deserves this.” He looked between Romana and Leela. “But we’ll need to be discreet.”

“Obviously,” Romana said. “You know Brax. He’s discretion itself.”

“How comforting,” Narvin said, falling back into his chair. “Just know that if anyone tries to make me wear a silly hat, I’m calling the whole thing off!”

* * *

Ace stared at the Santa hat on Narvin’s head. Then she stared at it some more. It didn’t seem like it belonged there, like it and Narvin existed in two separate universes that were never meant to meld together.

She took in a breath to ask him about it, but before she could say anything, Narvin said, “Not a word.”

She clamped her mouth shut.

Normally, if her boss came and dragged her out of her quarters (figuratively) after work hours to lead her somewhere undisclosed, she’d be concerned. But this was Narvin. And he was wearing a Santa hat.

 _Am I dreaming?_ Ace wondered. She pinched herself, but she didn’t wake up.

“You’re not dreaming,” Narvin sighed. “Unfortunately,” he added under his breath.

“Am I in trouble?” she hazarded, though she couldn’t imagine why Narvin had come to incriminate her in his current attire.

“No.” He glanced sidelong at her. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Am I getting promoted?” She gasped in delight. “Do I get a title? Like ‘Captain Ace?’”

“Good heavens, no. But we’re all proud…” He trailed off and frowned, almost as if he couldn’t quite figure out how he’d ended up in the middle of that sentence. His gait slowed a little and he cleared his throat. “You’ve come a long way,” he decided on. “I know I had my doubts early on as to whether you were capable of being an effective CIA agent, but I’m…impressed.”

Ace searched his expression for some kind of joke, but he seemed completely serious. Her heart warmed at the sentiment. Even though Narvin wasn’t the best at communicating actual feelings, she understood what he meant.

“Thanks, Narvin.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” He stopped in front of a door; someone’s quarters, Ace realised. She looked up at him in question and he gestured for her to go first. Ace shrugged and pressed the door control.

And what she saw in front of her was pure magic.

A giant Christmas tree, decorated within an inch of its life with lights and ornaments, stood in the corner of the spacious room. Other string lights covered the walls, casting a warm yellow glow over the whole area. Christmas music played from speakers that Ace couldn’t see and the smell of something warm and sweet filled the air. Romana, Braxiatel, and Leela all stood to one side, smiling at her. Narvin stepped into the room and stood in front of Ace with the warmest, sincerest smile Ace had ever seen on him.

“Happy Christmas, Ace.”

The bright lights blurred in front of Ace’s eyes. Her cheeks warmed as she realised that she was going to cry right in front of all the people on Gallifrey who she admired the most. But time lords had no use for Christmas—no use for holidays at all, even, and though Leela was human, Christmas was a foreign concept to her, too. Yet, it was obvious that they’d gone through a lot of trouble to do this just for her.

 _Don’t cry, don’t cry!_ she chanted to herself as the others seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

Perhaps sensing her distress, Leela stepped forward. “Do you like my jumper?” she asked, tugging at the fabric. “Braxiatel said we all must wear one.”

Tears were long forgotten in a moment as Ace burst into laughter. As she had taken in the decorations around the room, she had neglected to notice what Braxiatel, Romana, and Leela were wearing. Leela’s jumper depicted a dog wearing a Santa hat, Brax’s was patterned with red and green and was _just_ classy enough not to be considered tacky, and Romana’s displayed a snowman.

 _“All_ of us,” Leela stated, holding out something toward Narvin.

The smile fell from Narvin’s face as he grabbed the wadded fabric from Leela, muttering under his breath. He took off his hat and tossed it at Brax. “If I have to wear the jumper, I’m not wearing the hat, too.” As Brax caught the hat and set it off to the side, Narvin pulled on the sweater over his CIA robes.

As soon as Ace saw the penguin on the front, she doubled over laughing.

“This is only happening once,” Narvin said amid her laughter.

Once Ace recovered, Romana gestured to a small table with what looked like a drink dispenser. “There’s hot cocoa—well, what’s left of it.”

“Leela had a little problem with patience,” Brax said with a smirk.

“I left some!” Leela countered.

“And you’ll have to get rid of your bomber jacket for the night so you can wear this.” Brax held up a red jumper with a fireplace on the front, clear amusement in his eyes. “This seemed like the best suited to you.”

“All right!” Ace threw her bomber jacket on a nearby sofa and grabbed the jumper from Brax. She pulled it on and found that it fit perfectly—leave it to Brax to inexplicably know her size.

And then there was a long silence filled only by the sound of “Jingle Bell Rock.” The warmth of the room pressed in on her— _warmth,_ Ace realised. She didn’t know how they’d done it, but it was just comfortable enough to be wearing the jumpers. But she felt too hot now as she shuffled her feet and looked down at the ground.

“I…I really don’t know what to say.”

A hand touched her shoulder. Ace looked up to meet Romana’s soft gaze. “Then don’t. You don’t have to say anything.”

“Though we are rather depending on you to show us how to celebrate Christmas,” Narvin put in.

Ace grinned. “You bet! We’re going to have the best Christmas party Gallifrey’s ever seen!”

Brax chuckled. “The _only_ Christmas party Gallifrey’s ever seen.”

“Brax,” Ace said, “turn up the music!”

And though Leela was the only person that Ace could get to dance, Narvin didn’t quite get the point of Christmas crackers, and Romana and Brax argued who had gotten Ace the better present, as they all wore their paper crowns and tried to take a picture using a camera that Brax had mysteriously produced, Ace knew that it was the best Christmas she’d ever had.


End file.
